CBorg supports several AI-powered coding environments. This page helps you choose the right tool and walks you through the setup steps.

Supported Coding Tools

ZooCode – GUI-style / Interactive

Zoo Code (formerly RooCode) is a VS Code extension that provides a fully interactive, GUI-driven coding assistant. It integrates directly into the VS Code editor with a visual diff approval workflow.

Best for: Users who prefer a point-and-click interface and an intuitive “close to the code” experience.

Note: Configuration and optimizing your workflow can be complicated. The extension is under active development.

Claude Code – Deep Development

Claude Code is Anthropic’s agentic coding tool. It is widely used for complex, multi-file development tasks and has strong support for large codebases. Note that Claude models are among the most expensive to operate – average usage is around $6/day, and costs can be higher with suboptimal configuration or heavy usage.

Best for: Power users comfortable with the terminal, deep refactoring and multi-step development tasks.

Note: The Claude Code VSCode Extension also enables in-editor diff viewing and a chat-style sidebar with better readability than the terminal interface.

Note: Review the cost optimization tips before starting to avoid unexpected budget consumption.

OpenAI Codex – GPT Models, Computer Use, Vibe Coding

Codex CLI is OpenAI’s coding agent with the best native integration with GPT models. It also supports the Codex App for computer-use and “vibe coding” workflows. Profiles can be switched at runtime to use different models (GPT, Gemini, etc.).

Best for: Users who prefer GPT models, computer-use workflows, or the Codex App experience.

Opencode – Open Source Power-User’s Alternative (Experimental)

Opencode is a free, open-source CLI coding agent. CBorg support is experimental and requires a custom build until upstream LiteLLM provider support is merged. Recommended for advanced users comfortable building from source.

Best for: Advanced users who want a fully open-source alternative to Claude Code.

VS Code Insiders – Copilot Chat with BYOK

VS Code Insiders supports GitHub Copilot Chat with Bring Your Own Key (BYOK), allowing you to route Copilot requests through the CBorg API. Limited support for the CBorg API is possible using the OpenAI-Compatible provider mode. Setup documentation is in progress.

Budget-Constrained or On-Prem Only?

If you need to keep all work on-premises (no cloud providers) or want to minimize API costs, use the CBorg on-prem models:

• lbl/cborg-coder – Full-size on-prem coding model
• lbl/cborg-coder-fast – Smaller, faster on-prem coding model

These models run entirely within Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory infrastructure and do not transmit your data to any 3rd party cloud provider. All of the tools above support selecting these models. See the CBorg Free Models page for details.

Step-by-Step Setup Guide

1. Get an API Key

Request a CBorg API key from the API Key Request page. You will need to log in with your Lab-connected Google identity and agree to the terms of service.

2. Request an Increased Budget (Optional)

Keys are issued with a default monthly budget. If your project requires more capacity, you can request a budget increase.

3. Set Up Your Coding Environment

Consult the documentation for your chosen tool:

4. Enable CBorg MCP Servers (Optional)

CBorg provides hosted MCP Servers that extend your coding agent with additional capabilities:

• Context7 – Up-to-date library documentation and code examples, fetched at query time
• Valency – Literature research assistant using preprint servers

MCP servers are supported in ZooCode, Claude Code, Codex, and Opencode. See the MCP Servers page for configuration instructions.

5. Get Help

• CBorg Users Chatroom – Join the CBorg Users Google Chat room to ask questions and share tips with other users.
• Office Hours – Science IT hosts regular office hours. Contact scienceit@lbl.gov for the schedule.

Other Tools (Experimental)

The following tools have experimental or community-supported CBorg integration. They may require additional testing and configuration. Feel free to reach out to Science IT support if you get stuck.

• Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) – See the WSL2 guide for running Linux-based coding tools on Windows.
• RStudio – R users can connect RStudio to the CBorg API. See the RStudio guide for setup instructions.

For a full list of tools with varying levels of support, see the Legacy / Unsupported Tools page.